Understanding
by Leonora T
Summary: Sometimes it can be hard to listen to the one you love and even harder to understand. Yuffentine


_Not much to say here...so on with the story._

**Understanding **

The clash of the glass against the wall. The sound of his normally calm, soothing voice raised in anger. The deadly stare he shot her with his powerful crimson orbs. It was at times like this Yuffie didn't find it hard to believe Vincent was once a Turk. A shady character who killed for a living and thrived in violence and aggression. Not the kind, gentle and misunderstood Vincent she had grown to love.

Yet sitting here in the kitchen floor looking at the shards of broken glass with dismay she began to wonder if those two Vincents were one in the same. The thought scared her. Forcing the disturbing thoughts from her mind she collected the broken glass and deposited it in the kitchen trash can. Not having heard a sound from the room down the hallway, the young woman crept into her son's room only to find the three year old asleep in his bed. A sad smile crossed her face. He could sleep through anything. She was glad of this, she certainly didn't want her son to hear or witness his parents quarreling.

Closing the pale blue door behind her Yuffie walked to the living room and sat down on the couch. She stared at the phone that sat on the table stand beside her, contemplating if she should call Tifa. The older woman had said she was always there to lend a listening ear and a comforting word but Yuffie wasn't sure if she wanted to share this with her best friend. "How do I tell her my husbands doesn't care for his family and I'm going insane..." She huffed under her breath as she ran her finger idly over the phone.

With a sigh she arose from her seat. She wouldn't bother Tifa, she had far more important things in her life to worry about like her newborn daughter, Cirrus. _Things will be better tomorrow._ Yuffie told herself vainly as she headed for her bedroom. All the emotionally drained ninja wanted to do was curl up in her bed and sleep this horrible evening away.

Walking into the dark room before nimble fingers could reach over to the light switch she felt his presence. It was something she had gained over their years of travelling together. He didn't have to make a sound, say word or make a move she could feel him. "I feel the warmth being sucked out of the room by a walking corpse...hmm...must be Vincent." She said bitterly as she flicked on the light to see Vincent standing across the room with no expression on his face. "When did you get back? I thought you'd still be at the cave mourning over your beloved Lucrecia."Spite laced in her words. Yuffie wasn't surprised she didn't hear Vincent come home. He had a gift for being disturbingly silent with every move he made. Vincent said nothing nor revealed nothing on his face. Yuffie scoffed at his seemingly uncaring demeanor.

"I told you I didn't go there." The tall dark man stated a matter-of-factly as he watched the short woman remove her slippers.

"You don't have to lie." Yuffie keep her head down. "Where else would you be disappearing to all the time. Why else would you get so damn mad that you throw a glass across the room?" Tears slowly began to form in front of her gray eyes but she managed to keep them in check, not wanting Vincent to see her cry. "Sometimes I don't think you even care about me or Jareth." Emotion thick in her voice. In the heat of the moment a lie formed in the little ninja's head that she was sure would sting. "I was thinking about calling Reeve, he's the type of man I need in my life. Not someone who lives in the past the mopes about everything"

Instead of reacting by storming out the room and disappearing into the night fuming mad and hurt like Yuffie expected the gunslinger to do, he replied. "Maybe, after all you fail in comparison to Lucrecia." A lie on Vincent's part, a huge lie. But when you are hurt you say things that will hurt in turn.

All tears that were verging on escaping Yuffie's eyes now completely vanished in a blind fit of rage as she looked at the man before her. Her friend, her husband, her child's father...she eyed him with pure hatred. "Sorry I can't measure up to the 'grand' Lucrecia. The woman who gave up her child to be experimented on." Her voice full of anger yet eerily calm.

"She did what she thought was right. That is nor here or there."

"STILL? Still, Vincent? After all these years you still defend her and what she did. You really are sad." Shaking her head is dismay. Yuffie pushed passed Vincent and got her heavy coat from the closet.

"Where are you going?" The crimson eyed man asked with a slight bit of worry in his voice.

"To see Reeve." Yuffie scoffed as she left the room and the mansion.

----------

"This is an odd hour of the night to stop by, Yufs." Tifa noted the obvious as she handed Yuffie her cup of hot chocolate.

"Yeah. I just wanted to see you and the baby." She answered non too convincingly.

"I'm sorry Cirrus is asleep. You know how it is." Tifa joined Yuffie at the small round table with her own cup of hot chocolate. "When Jareth was little all he did was sleep and eat. I guess it's a baby thing." Tifa laughed only to receive a forced smile from her companion. Shifting uncomfortably in her chair at her friend's unusually somber mood, Tifa attempting to make small talk. "Cloud, well I never would have thought he would be a natural father, but he is. I swear Cirrus prefers him to me. I'm slightly jealous."

Looking up from her untouched cup, Yuffie asked with interest, "I bet Cloud is a good father."

Tifa nodded. "Yes he's very devoted. He fell into the role perfectly."

"And a good husband?"

This Tifa hesitated to respond. "Cloud is Cloud. With him you get your angst one moment and love vows the next. Its just something you have to learn to accept I suppose." She took a sip of chocolate. "He is kind of like Vincent" Yuffie again looked up at Tifa with interest with the mention of her husband. "Vincent he's a good guy and he loves you and Jareth a lot...I can tell. But like Cloud, Vincent is...well troubled. But wouldn't you be if you saw half as much as he has? Vincent and Cloud both have been through a lot. More than the average human should. That's why I think it is our duties as their wives to walk beside them through their dark time and good. To accept they aren't perfect and that's why we love them so much. To try and understand them." Blushing, Tifa shook her head in embarrassment. "I'm sorry Yufs...I've been reading too many romance novels lately."

Giving her best friend a genuine smile, Yuffie said "Don't worry about it."

Just than a shirtless a wild haired blonde man stumbled down the stairs with a hazy look on his face, sleep still in his mako enhanced eyes.

"Cloud wears tightie whitey with moogles on them!" The smaller woman nearly collapsed with laughter.

----------

"Where is mama." The small child asked as he cuddled his old teddy bear. "Rox had a nightmare."

"She went out."

"Out where?"

"I should buy you a new bear." Vincent calmly changed the subject. Luckily for him his three year old son didn't catch this and only shook his head as he clutched his bear tighter.

"No, I like Rox." Walking over to his father with short legs, the raven haired boy presented the raggedy bear to his father. "He's old and dirty but still good." Nodding slightly, Vincent helped Jareth onto the foot of the bed where he was currently sitting. "Daddy?"

"Yes?"

"Where do you go when you leave." Answering Vincent's unspoken question his son added, "I heard mama talking about it to herself, she thinks you go to an old cave to see a Lucy lady."

Vincent smirked bitterly. "Really?"

"Yes. Do you?"

"No."

"Where do you go then?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"Yes I would...so would Rox!"

"I go somewhere to think." Vincent finally told his son.

"About what?"

"A lot of things."

"Like what."

Out of all the things Jareth had to inherit from Yuffie, why did he have to get her unquenchable curiosity. "I think about you and your mother." In truth that was all Vincent ever did. Ever since his relationship with Yuffie began he had been deathly afraid he'd loose her like everything else in his life. And with the birth of his son those feelings had only intensified. In his mind the less time he spent around his family the less chance they'd have of getting hurt. The better off they'd be. It was flawed logic but everything about Vincent Valentine was flawed. And every time Yuffie accused him of having anything other than good intentions for his family he lost his cool a little. This time more so than others.

"You don't have to think about us. We are right here." Small crimson eyes gazed up at his father's identical pair.

"But for how long...?" Vincent asked himself under his breath.

Hearing his father's nearly silent words the small child chimed in, "Does it matter we are here now?" Maybe he had gotten Yuffie's curiosity and Vincent's looks, but he certainly inherited his sense from somewhere else.

"One day you could be here the next you could be gone." Vincent seemingly forgot he was talking to his three year old son. "All because of me..."

"So we have fun today!" Jareth answered simply. Jumping off the foot of the bed, Jareth stood in front of his father. "I love you daddy...Mommy and Rox loves you too." With that little statement the small child exited his parent's room and headed towards his own bedroom leaving his father to sit and think.

----------

It was 2AM when Yuffie crept into the old mansion. Quietly she made her way to her son's room to find him asleep with his TV on. Creeping over to turn off the cartoons she softly shut his door and headed towards her bedroom. She wondered if Vincent was there.

Before Yuffie could turn on the light switch or even begin to sense her lovers presence she felt a cold hand on her bare shoulder. Jumping slightly in surprise, she turned around to see a pair of crimson eyes that glowed in the dark night. As if on dramatic cue, lighting struck outside lightening up the room for a brief second and fully revealing a shirtless Vincent.

A few years ago Yuffie probably would have gawked and blushed over the sight but now she paid it no heed. Holding her head down in shame she whispered, "I'm sorry, Vinnie." She then added as she placed a hand on his chest. "I didn't mean to hurt you. Its just sometimes you frustrate me so much and there is this nagging little voice in my head that for some reason sounds a lot like Reno when he is drunk that is constantly comparing me to Lucrecia and, well, it's just-"

He placed his cool digits over her lips as another bolt of lightning struck. Easing his head down closer to her ear he whispered in a sultry voice, "Well you definitely talk more than Lucrecia." Before the offended ninja could retort Vincent claimed her lips for his own in a passionate kiss that quickly dashed away all feelings of anger. Finally, pulling away for air, he rested his chin on Yuffie's head and said softly, "I've been worried about losing you and Jareth. So much so I thought about removing myself from the picture as much as possible. It took the wisdom of a little boy to make me realize how stupid I was..."

"And..." Yuffie untangled herself from her lovers arms so she could stand completely in front of him. "It took the words of a very busty woman who is married to a chocobo head that likes to wear moogle undies to make me relieve that you are who you are and I can't ask you to change. Even if that means throwing a glass now and then or visiting Lucrecia's cave."

"Now that does hurt." He said as he brushed a loose strands of her brown hair behind her ear. "I thought you'd know by know you are the only woman I love. You and Jareth are my world. My past can't compare."

The Princess blushed with happiness as her husband picked her up and carried her to their large maroon colored bed successfully avoiding tripping over anything thanks to his enhanced vision. Resting her on the bed gently like the princess she was he began to kiss her neck and earned a few excited giggles. Stopping his demonstration only to receive a disappointed huff from Yuffie, he asked curiously. "And Reeve...?" He knew he didn't have to finish his question.

Yuffie laughed as she placed a kiss on his lips. "Pshaw! Reeve isn't my type. You know I like my men tall, dark and creepy!"

_Well there it is, my first fanfic since my drabble series. Did you like it? Let me know. O by the way I'd like to thank http://yuffietine. aka Total Atonement for giving me the last line in my story. I read it on Yuffie's profile and thought it was hilarious and just had to incorporate it into my story._

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**_S.S. _**


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